System and method for displaying a constant time selection context menu interface

ABSTRACT

A system and method are provided for a context menu pop-up interface. In one embodiment, the context menu interface may be activated in relation to a second interface, and may include a plurality of selection areas organized around a central selection area. In a preferred embodiment, the sizes of each of the plurality of selection areas increase as a distance to each selection area increases from the central selection area, and the sizes are selected such that the plurality of selection areas can be selected in approximately the same time.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/226,234, filed Sep. 6, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/431,993, filed Apr. 29, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No.8,037,422, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/415,852, filed May 2, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,546,550, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/794,559, filed Mar.5, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,559,036, the contents of each of which arefully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed towards electronic trading. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a system and method fordisplaying a context menu pop-up interface providing a plurality ofchoices that can be selected in approximately the same time.

BACKGROUND

An exchange is a central marketplace with established rules andregulations where buyers and sellers meet to trade. Some exchanges,referred to as open outcry exchanges, operate using a trading floorwhere buyers and sellers physically meet on the floor to trade. Otherexchanges, referred to as electronic exchanges, operate by an electronicor telecommunications network instead of a trading floor to facilitatetrading in an efficient, versatile, and functional manner. Electronicexchanges have made it possible for an increasing number of people toactively participate in a market at any given time. The increase in thenumber of potential market participants has advantageously led to, amongother things, a more competitive market and greater liquidity.

With respect to electronic exchanges, buyers and sellers may log onto anelectronic exchange trading platform by way of a communication linkthrough their user terminals. Once connected, buyers and sellers maytypically choose which tradeable objects they wish to trade. As usedherein, the term “tradeable object” refers to anything that can betraded with a quantity and/or price. It includes, but is not limited to,all types of traded events, goods and/or financial products, which caninclude, for example, stocks, options, bonds, futures, currency, andwarrants, as well as funds, derivatives and collections of theforegoing, and all types of commodities, such as grains, energy, andmetals. The tradeable object may be “real,” such as products that arelisted by an exchange for trading, or “synthetic,” such as a combinationof real products that is created by the user. A tradeable object couldactually be a combination of other tradeable object, such as a class oftradeable objects.

When a trader selects a tradeable object, the trader may access marketdata related to the selected tradeable object(s). Referring to FIG. 1,an example communication that might occur between an electronic exchangeand a client terminal in accordance with the preferred embodiments isshown. During a trading session, market data 108 in the form of messagesmay be relayed from a host exchange 106 over communication links 116 and112 to a client terminal generally indicated as 102. As illustrated inFIG. 1, intermediate devices, such as gateway(s) 104 may be used tofacilitate communications between the client terminal 102 and the hostexchange 106. It should be understood that while FIG. 1 illustrates theclient terminal 102 communicating with a single host exchange, in analternative embodiment, the client terminal 102 could establish tradingsessions to more than one host exchange.

The market data 108 contains information that characterizes thetradeable object's order book including, among other parameters, orderrelated parameters, and the inside market, which represents the lowestsell price (also referred to as the best or lowest ask price) and thehighest buy price (also referred to as the best or highest bid price).In some electronic markets, market data may also include market depth,which generally refers to quantities available in the market at certainbuy price levels and quantities available in the market at certain sellprice levels.

In addition to providing the tradeable object's order book information,electronic exchanges can offer different types of market informationsuch as total traded quantity for each price level, last traded price,last traded quantity, or order fill information. Typically, a trader mayview the information provided from an exchange via one or morespecialized trading screens created by software running on the clientterminal 102. Upon viewing the market information or a portion thereof,a trader may wish to take actions, such as send orders to an exchange,cancel orders at the exchange, or change order parameters, for example.To do so, the trader may input various commands or signals into theclient terminal 102. Upon receiving one or more commands or signals fromthe trader, the client terminal 102 may generate messages that reflectthe actions taken, generally shown at 110. It should be understood thatdifferent types of messages or order types can be submitted to the hostexchange 106, all of which may be considered various types oftransaction information. Once generated, user action messages 110 may besent from the client terminal 102 to the host exchange overcommunication links 114 and 116.

In a typical trading interface that supports entering orders intoelectronic exchanges, the speed with which a user can make a selection,such as to define an order quantity and an order type, for example, inentering an order into the market can have an enormous impact on whethera profitable trade can be made. Some interfaces offer a single clicktrading functionality that enables a trader to quickly send an order toan exchange by simply clicking a location on the interface correspondingto a predetermined price level and a buy/sell action. Using suchinterfaces, a trader may assign certain actions to be automaticallytaken in response to a trader selecting a left mouse button or a rightmouse button, for example. In one embodiment, each mouse button may beassociated with a single combination of an order type and an orderquantity such that, for example, a left mouse button may correspond to alimit order for 5 lots, while the right mouse button may correspond to adifferent combination, such as a limit order for 7 lots, for example.When configured in this way, a trader could select either of the twochoices in entering a trade by using either the left mouse button or theright mouse button to click on a price level where the user wishes totrade. Therefore, making each choice would take the same amount of timefor a user.

However, the approach of mapping choices to buttons of typical inputdevices does not scale up. More specifically, since there is a limit onthe number of choices that can be made with a pointing device having twoor three buttons, such as a mouse or a joystick, only two or threedifferent choices can be selected in constant time. There are a fewother currently used interfaces that allow a user to select from a listof many choices. One of such interfaces is a commonly known menuinterface illustrated in a block diagram of FIG. 2. To make a selectionusing the menu interface 200, a user has to move the mouse to one of thechoices, such as “Choice 1” 202 in this example, and then click on theselected choice. Then, when a menu 204 corresponding to the selectedchoice appears, a user has to move the mouse to a location correspondingto a desired sub-choice, such as one of the “Sub-Choices 1-9,” and thenclick again. Looking at the interface 200, the individual sub-choices inthe menu 204 cannot all be selected as quickly as each other, since themenu sub-choice on the top, such as “Sub-Choice 1,” for example, can beselected more quickly than the second one, which may be selected morequickly than the third one, and so on, because there are progressivelylonger distances to traverse.

Therefore, using the menu interface, the average time to select a menuitem increases with a number of choices on the menu, and the actual timeto select an item depends on its relative position in relation to theposition of the selection means. This relative spatial dependence hasbeen scientifically proven by Fitts, who developed a model that is nowcommonly referred to as the Fitts' law. According to the Fitts' law, thetime to move and point to a target of width “W” at a distance “A” is alogarithmic function of the spatial relative error (“A/W”). Therefore,referring back to the menu interface in FIG. 2, since the average timeto select a target increases with the number of choices “N,” the actualtime to select an item depends on its relative position to the selectionmeans. This implies then that the menu type interface selection methoddoes not scale well to a large number of choices.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate a few other commonly used interfaces, a list boxinterface 300, a dropdown combo boxes interface 302, and a spin controlsinterface 304, respectively. However, these interfaces have similarcharacteristics to the menu interface, and the average time to select achoice in these interfaces depends on the number of selection choices,and how far the choice to be selected is from the top of the control.Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, if scrolling is required to make a choicevisible, the time to make a selection increased as compared to making aselection using the menu interface 200. Also, in relation to theinterface 302, since a user needs to make a desired selection 306 beforea set of corresponding selection choices may be displayed, the processof selecting a desired choice is even longer. Then, for the spin controlinterface 304 in FIG. 3C, the farther the desired choice is from thedisplayed choice, the longer the selection operation will take.Additionally, for all interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3A-3C, thesize of the target for the mouse is relatively small, which therebyincreases the time that is required to select one of the choices.

For most applications, the difference of a few hundred milliseconds inselecting items is not critical, and the existing interfaces work well.However, in an electronic trading environment, such asFirst-In-First-Out (“FIFO”) markets, or any other market types, wherespeed means the difference between making and losing money, even a fewhundred milliseconds might be critical in the fast moving markets.Therefore, in relation to a trading interface, the speed with which theuser can make a selection, such a selection of an order quantity or anorder type in entering an order into the market, can have enormousimpact on whether a profitable trade can be made.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Example embodiments of the present invention are described herein withreference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates an example networkconfiguration for a communication system utilized to access one or moreexchanges;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a menu interface that is oftenused to allow a user to select one of many choices using a conventionalmethod;

FIGS. 3A-3C are block diagrams illustrating a list box interface, adropdown box interface, and a spin control interface that are often usedto allow a user to select one of many choices using a conventionalmethod;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example client device that canbe used to carry out the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for using thecontext menu interface in relation to one example interface, a tradinginterface;

FIGS. 6A-6C are block diagrams illustrating a method for determiningsizes of selection choices in a context menu interface according to oneexample embodiment using the Fitts' Law principles;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating one example context menuinterface created based on the principles described in relation to FIGS.6A-6C;

FIGS. 8A-8C are block diagrams illustrating three example configurationsof context menu interfaces created based on the principles described inreference to FIGS. 6A-6C and FIG. 7;

FIGS. 9A-9D are block diagrams illustrating a few example embodiments ofthe context menu interfaces using a plurality of different geometriesand cell arrangements;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of anerror-sensitive context menu interface;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example one-dimensionalcontext menu interface; and

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating one example implementation of acontext menu interface that is used in relation to a trading interface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Context Menu Pop-Up Interface

According to one example embodiment, a context menu pop-up interface isprovided that offers a plurality of selection choices, all of which canbe selected by a user in substantially the same amount of time. Thecontext menu pop-up interface may consist of an arrangement of selectionareas or cells, where each selection area boundary and content may bevisible, while the background of each selection area is transparent ortranslucent so that the context menu pop-up interface does not obscureany other interface in relation to which it is activated. According toone preferred embodiment, a plurality of selection areas associated withthe interface may be organized around a central selection area, and thesizes of the plurality of areas increase as a distance from the centralselection area to each selection area increases. Additionally, the sizesof the selection areas are selected such that each of the plurality ofselection areas can be selected in approximately the same time. In onepreferred embodiment, the sizes of the selection areas are controlledusing the Fitts' law principles, or variations thereof.

For example, the context menu pop-up interface can be used in relationto a trading interface. The trading interface may include an order entryregion with a plurality of locations for receiving commands to sendtrade orders to an electronic exchange. When the context menu pop-upinterface is activated upon detecting a user activation request commandwhen a cursor associated with a user input device, such as a mouse, islocated in relation to one of the order entry locations, the contextmenu pop-up interface may provide a number of selection areas associatedwith a plurality of order related parameters. In such an embodiment, theorder related parameters may include order quantities, order types, orany actions/functions to be taken in relation to pending orders, ororders to be sent to an exchange. For example, when a user selects oneof the selection areas associated with an order quantity, the selectedorder quantity may be used to automatically populate a quantity field ina pending order ticket.

While the present invention is described herein with reference toillustrative embodiments in relation to trading interfaces, it should beunderstood that the present invention is not limited thereto, and couldbe used in relation to any other interfaces providing a number ofselection choices. Other systems, methods, and advantages of the presentembodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following drawings and description. It is intendedthat all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages bewithin the scope of the present invention, and be protected by theaccompanying claims.

II. Hardware and Software Overview

As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the presentembodiments may be operated in an entirely software embodiment, in anentirely hardware embodiment, or in a combination thereof. However, forsake of illustration, the preferred embodiments are described in asoftware-based embodiment, which is executed on a computer device. Assuch, the preferred embodiments take the form of a computer programproduct that is stored on a computer readable storage medium and isexecuted by a suitable instruction system in the computer device. Anysuitable computer readable medium may be utilized including hard disks,CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices, forexample.

The example embodiments that will be used hereinafter to describedifferent configurations and functionalities of the context menuinterface will be described in reference to trading interfaces. However,it should be understood that the context menu interface could be used inrelation to any interface that allows a user to make selection choices,set values, or define parameters.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example client terminal 400with a number of layers defining different stages that may be used toimplement embodiments of the present invention. The client terminal 400can be a computer, such as a workstation, desktop, handheld device, andso forth, that allows a trader to trade one or more tradeable objectsthat are offered at exchanges. The client terminal 400 includes atrading application 402, a context menu application 404, and anapplication programming interface 406. The client terminal 400 may alsoinclude at least a processor and memory (both of which are not shown inthe figure, but are well-known computer components). Preferably, theprocessor has enough processing power to handle and process varioustypes of market information. The more market information is received andprocessed, the more processing power is preferred. However, any presentday processor has enough capability to perform at least the most basicpart of the present invention. Also, it should be understood that memorymay include any computer readable medium. The term computer readablemedium, as used herein, refers to any medium that participates inproviding instructions to a processor unit for execution.

Preferably, the trading application 402 has access to market informationthrough the interface 406, such as through an application programminginterface (“API”), and the application 402 can also forward transactioninformation to the host exchange 408 via the API 406. In a preferredembodiment, when the trading application 402 receives market informationfrom the exchange 408, it may arrange and display the receivedinformation in many different ways, depending on how the trader prefersto view the information on the visual output display devices 410. Thedisplay devices 410 could be a CRT-based video display, an LCD-baseddisplay, a gas plasma-panel display, a display that showsthree-dimensional images, or a different display type. Also, the displaydevice 410 could be a combination of separate display devices that cantogether create a composition in the user's visual field of the contextmenu and the interface, such as a head-mounted monocular see-throughdisplay that holds the context menu used together with another displaythat holds the trading interface. In the preferred embodiment, thetrading application 402 creates specialized interactive screens thatenable traders to, among other things, enter and execute orders, obtainmarket quotes, and monitor positions. The range and quality of featuresavailable to the trader on his or her trading screen may vary accordingto the specific software application being run. In addition to, or inplace of interactive screens, the client terminal 102 could runautomated types of trading applications. The trading application 402 mayalso receive input signals from traders via input device 412. The inputdevices can include, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, or any otherinput means selected by a user.

The preferred embodiment may be implemented on any type of tradingscreen, therefore, details regarding the trading screen are notnecessary to understand the present invention. However, in oneembodiment, one type of trading screen that can be used is provided by acommercially available trading application referred to as X_TRADER® fromTrading Technologies International, Inc. of Chicago, Ill. X_TRADER® alsoprovides an electronic trading interface, referred to as MD Trader™, inwhich working orders and/or bid and ask quantities are displayed inassociation with a static price axis or scale. Portions of the X_TRADER®and the MD Trader™-style display are described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/590,692, entitled “Click Based Trading WithIntuitive Grid Display of Market Depth,” filed on Jun. 9, 2000, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/971,087, entitled “Click Based TradingWith Intuitive Grid Display of Market Depth and Price Consolidation,”filed on Oct. 5, 2001, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/125,894,entitled “Trading Tools For Electronic Trading,” filed on Apr. 19, 2002,and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/376,417, entitled “A System andMethod for Trading and Displaying Market Information in an ElectronicTrading Environment,” filed on Feb. 28, 2003, the contents of each areincorporated herein by reference. However, it should be understood thatorders in the system illustrated in FIG. 1 could also be placed usingany other trading application as well. Additionally, the preferredembodiments are not limited to any particular product that performstranslation, storage, and display functions.

The context menu application 404 is preferably a software applicationthat interfaces with the trading application 402 to display a contextmenu interface. In a preferred embodiment, the context menu interfaceprovides a plurality of selection choices that are arranged in such amanner so that each choice can be selected in approximately equal amountof time. It should be understood that the context menu application 404may be configured to work with any type of display to provide thefunctionality described hereinafter.

III. Constant Time Selection Context Menu Pop-Up Interface

According to example embodiments that will be described in greaterdetail below, a context menu interface offers a user a plurality ofselection choices that can be selected in substantially the same time.More specifically, according to one example implementation, the contextmenu interface may be activated by a user in relation to anotherinterface, such as a trading interface, and may consist of anarrangement of selection areas or cells, where each cell boundary andcontent may be visible, while the background of each cell is transparentor translucent. Using such an embodiment, the context menu interface mayprovide meaningful context selection choices, while not obscuring thetrading interface. As will be described in greater detail below, eachcell of the context menu may be associated with one or more selectionparameters or actions to be taken in response to selecting a cell, andthe actions associated with each cell may be user configurable.

Also, preferably, choices/actions presented in relation to each cell maychange based on a portion of an underlying interface in relation towhich the context menu is activated. Thus, for example, if the contextmenu is activated in relation to an order entry area of the tradinginterface, each cell of the context menu may provide order relatedselection choices. The order related selection choices may be as simpleas a single value that can be used to define an order quantity, or ascomplicated as a collection of several parameters, such as an orderquantity and an order type. Alternatively, cell choices may map to aplurality of functions, the execution of which may result in determiningone or more parameters/values or actions. Also, in another embodiment,it should be understood that each cell may be associated with a set oftime-based choices, so that a cell may display different selectionchoices depending on the time of day, month, or year when the contextmenu interface is activated.

1. Functionality

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for an improvedtrading interface using a context menu according to one exampleembodiment. The flowchart of FIG. 5 shows the functionality andoperation of one possible implementation of the present embodiments. Inthis regard, each block may represent a module, a segment, or a portionof code, which includes one or more executable instructions forimplementing specific logical functions or steps in the process. Itshould be understood that alternative implementations are includedwithin the scope of the preferred embodiment of the present invention inwhich functions may be executed out of order from that shown ordiscussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order,depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by thosereasonably skilled in the art of the present invention. Also, the method500 will be described in relation to the components illustrated in FIG.4; however, it should be understood that different components could alsobe used to execute the method. Further, it should be understood that thecontext menu pop-up interface could also be used in relation todifferent types of interfaces, and the trading interface is only anexample interface that will be used to describe the functionality of thecontext menu pop-up interface.

Referring to FIG. 5, at step 502, the trading application 402 provides atrading interface for trading a tradeable object in an electronictrading environment. As mentioned in relation to FIG. 4, the tradinginterface may take a format of the MD Trader™-style display; however, itshould be understood that the context menu interface could be used inrelation to different display types. In one embodiment, the tradinginterface may include an order entry region with a plurality oflocations that can be used for receiving commands to send trade ordersto an electronic exchange. In such an embodiment, the locations may bearranged along a common axis of prices, such as a static price axis, asin the MD Trader™-style display, and each location may be associatedwith a price along the common price axis. At step 504, the context menuapplication 404 detects an activation selection input, or an activationcommand, associated with a request to enable a context menu interface.In one example embodiment, a user can activate the context menuinterface by simply pressing an input choice of an input means. In anembodiment where the input means includes a mouse, the user may activatethe context menu by simply pressing, and alternatively holding, theright/left mouse button on a particular location of the tradinginterface. However, it should be understood that the context menuinterface could be activated using different selection inputs, such asvoice activation inputs, a combination of keyboard inputs, or via anyother user-configurable means. Also, it should be understood that thecontext menu interface could be automatically activated upon detectingtriggers or events received from outside sources.

At step 506, the context menu application 404 displays a context menuinterface in relation to the trading interface. In a preferredembodiment, the location and selection choices corresponding to eachcell of the displayed context menu interface may depend on the positionof a selection means, such as a mouse, at the time of detecting theactivation selection input. For example, if the context menu interfaceis activated in response to pressing the right mouse button in relationto a buy/sell price level displayed on the trading interface, thecontext menu interface could be centered on the selected price levelcorresponding to the current mouse location. Also, in such anembodiment, the selection choices of the context menu could correspondto a number of order related parameters, and may define, for example, anumber of order quantities, order types, the combination thereof, or anyother order related parameters or functions configured by a trader.

At step 508, the context menu application 404 detects a user inputselecting a choice on the context menu interface. In one embodiment, auser can select a desired choice by simply moving the selection means toa cell on the context menu corresponding to the desired choice and thenselecting that cell. For example, a user can move a mouse to the cellthat corresponds to the user's choice, and then may click on the desiredchoice. In an alternative embodiment, when a user activates the contextmenu interface by a right mouse button click, for example, the user maythen move the mouse to the cell corresponding to the desired choice,while still having the mouse button pressed down, and then may releasethe right mouse button when the mouse is positioned over the desiredselection choice. In such an embodiment, a trader is essentiallyperforming a mouse gesture that consists of detecting a right mousebutton down action, then moving the mouse in a particular direction fora particular distance, and then detecting a release of the mouse buttonat the location of the desired selection choice.

Once the selection is made in relation to the context menu, the contextmenu application 404 may disable the context menu interface, and, atstep 510, the trading application 404, or any other application, mayperform one or more actions implied by or associated with the selectedchoice. For example, if the context menu interface is activated inresponse to selecting a price level corresponding to a buy order, andthen a specific value is selected in relation to the context menuinterface, the selected value may be used to dynamically populate anorder quantity field in an order ticket of an order that is being placedat the selected price. However, as mentioned in earlier paragraphs, itshould be understood that each cell could be associated with morecomplex actions, or functions, which, when executed, may result in oneor more actions to be taken or one or more values to be applied inrelation to the underlying item.

2. Display Layout Creation

The example context menu interfaces that will be described in greaterdetail below include a plurality of selection choices that can beselected in approximately the same time upon activating the contextmenu. According to one example embodiment, the layout and sizes of theselection choices on the context menu interface are based on theprinciples of the Fitts' law. FIGS. 6A-6C are block diagramsillustrating and explaining principles that were used to construct oneexample layout for the context menu interface.

The Fitts' law can be used to measure and predict how long it will takefor a user to move a mouse from one location, and to click on a targetselection choice. The following equation represents the Shannonformulation of the Fitts' law:

$\begin{matrix}{{MT} = {a + {b\; {\log_{2}( {1 + \frac{A}{w}} )}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (1)}\end{matrix}$

In EQN(1), “MT” is a movement time to a target that is distance “A”away, and which has a width “w” measured in the direction of motion tothe target. EQN(1) also includes two constants “a” and “b,” which aretypically determined by regression on a set of data samples, and may beon the order of 100-400 milliseconds. However, it should be understoodthat the values used for “a” and “b” may depend upon the actual type ofa pointing device used, such as a mouse, a track ball, or a tablet.Also, it should be understood that while the example embodiments will beexplained using the Fitts' law representation of EQN(1), differentFitts' law representations could also be used.

According to one example embodiment, a context menu interface mayinclude a series of adjacent targets that can be selected by a user insubstantially the same time using a mouse pointer or any other selectionmeans. FIG. 6A illustrates two example adjacent targets, “target 1” and“target 2,” that will be used to explain one example embodiment forconstructing the context menu interface. The following equationsrepresent the Fitts' law for the two targets:

$\begin{matrix}{{MT}_{1} = {a + {b\; {\log_{2}( {1 + \frac{A_{1}}{w_{1}}} )}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (2)} \\{{MT}_{2} = {a + {b\; {\log_{2}( {1 + \frac{A_{2}}{w_{2}}} )}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (3)}\end{matrix}$

Based on EQN(2) and EQN(3), for the movement times MT_(i) to be equalfor each target, MT₁=MT₂, A₁/w₁ and A₂/w₂ should be equal. Therefore, toconstruct a series of adjacent targets with the same selection time, thewidth of each target should be preferably adjusted so that the movementtime from the mouse pointer to each target is the same. For theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 6B, where MT₁ is set equal to MT₂, A₂ canbe represented with the following equation:

$\begin{matrix}{A_{2} = {A_{1} + {{1/2}( {w_{1} + w_{2}} )}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (4)}\end{matrix}$

Substituting EQN(4) for A₂ in EQN(3), MT₂ can be represented with thefollowing equation:

$\begin{matrix}{{MT}_{2} = {a + {b\; {\log_{2}( {1 + \frac{A_{1} + {{1/2}( {w_{1} + w_{2}} )}}{w_{2}}} )}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (5)}\end{matrix}$

Referring back to the initial assumption of MT₁=MT₂, and using EQN(5):

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{A_{1}}{w_{1}} = {\frac{A_{2}}{w_{2}} = {\frac{A_{1}}{w_{2}} + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{w_{1}}{2w_{2}}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (6)}\end{matrix}$

Then, solving EQN(6) for w₂:

$\begin{matrix}{w_{2} = \frac{w_{1}( {A_{1} + {{1/2}w_{1}}} )}{( {A_{1} - {{1/2}w_{1}}} )}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (7)}\end{matrix}$

If A₁=w₁, as in the block diagram of FIG. 6B, then:

$\begin{matrix}{w_{2} = {\frac{w_{1}( {w_{1} + {{1/2}w_{1}}} )}{( {w_{1} - {{1/2}w_{1}}} )} = {3w_{1}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (8)}\end{matrix}$

Using the model described above, if an additional target, “target 3,” isto be added to the right of “target 2”, such as illustrated in FIG. 6C,and where A₂=3w₁, in order for the movement times from the mouse pointerto each of the three targets to be the same, A₁/w₁ should be equal toA₃/w₃. Referring to FIG. 6C, and observing that A₃=A₁+1/2 w₁+w₂+1/2 w₃,A₁=w₁, and w₂=3w₁, and substituting the relationships into A₁/w₁=A₃/w₃,while solving for w₃, results in w₃=9w₁.

In general, if we define a central target, “target 0,” as a box centeredaround the initial mouse pointer, and the initial target has a width ofw₀=w₁, and the recurrence relation for the successive amplitudes areA₁=1/2(w₀+w₁) and A_(k)=A_(k−1)+1/2(w_(k−1)+w_(k)), the followingequation defines the distance to the “k_(th)” target.

$\begin{matrix}{{A_{k} = {{{1/2}( {w_{k - 1} + w_{k}} )} + {{1/2}( {w_{k - 2} + w_{k - 1}} )} + {{1/2}( {w_{k - 3} + w_{k - 2}} )} + \ldots + {{1/2}( {w_{0} + w_{1}} )}}}{A_{k} = {( {\overset{k - 1}{\sum\limits_{i = 1}}w_{i}} ) + {{1/2}( {w_{0} + w_{k}} )}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (9)}\end{matrix}$

Then solving for w_(k) using the initial assumption of

${\frac{A_{k}}{w_{k}} = \frac{A_{1}}{w_{1}}},$

results in

$w_{k} = {w_{1}{\frac{A_{k}}{A_{1}}.}}$

Substituting for A_(k) and A_(k−1) into

${w_{k} = {w_{1}\frac{A_{k}}{A_{1}}}},$

and then solving for w_(k) using geometric series properties results inEQN(10):

$\begin{matrix}{w_{k} = {w_{1}( {1 + \frac{2w_{1}}{w_{0}}} )}^{k - 1}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (10)}\end{matrix}$

When substituting EQN(10) into EQN(9), A_(k) can be represented usingthe following equation:

$\begin{matrix}{A_{k} = {{{\frac{w_{0}}{2}\lbrack ( {1 + \frac{2w_{1}}{w_{0}}} )^{k - 1} \rbrack} + {\frac{w_{1}}{2}( {1 + \frac{2w_{1}}{w_{0}}} )^{k - 1}}} = {( \frac{w_{0} + w_{1}}{2} )( {1 + \frac{2w_{1}}{w_{0}}} )^{k - 1}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (11)}\end{matrix}$

It should be understood that the widths of the target 0 and the target 1can be different as well, and the embodiments described below are notlimited to the initial assumption of w₀=w₁ that was used in relation toEQN(9). Table 1 below illustrates a plurality of example sets of valuesfor w₀, w₁, w₂, w₃, w₄, and w₅, where w₀≠w₁, and w₀=1.

TABLE 1 w₀ w₁ w₂ w₃ w₄ w₅ 1 0.5 1.0 2.0 4.0 8.0 1 0.9 2.52 7.06 19.7655.32 1 1.2 4.08 13.87 47.16 160.36 1 1.5 6.0 24.0 96.0 384.0 1 2.0 10.050.0 250.0 1,250.0

It should be understood that the example context menu interface can beextended by adding menu cells to the left of the first target cell aswell. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating one example context menuinterface 700 that may be created based on the principles describedabove. The context menu 700 includes seven targets 702-714 that arepositioned adjacent to each other, and having their widths determinedusing the Fitts' law principles. Therefore, based on the embodimentsdescribed in reference to the preceding figure, the widths of targets704, 706 are equal to the width of the target 702, while targets 708,710 are three times wider than targets 704, 706, while targets 712, 714are nine times wider than targets 708, 710.

Now, let's assume that the construction of the context menu 700 will beextended into two dimensions. The following equation represents amodified Fitts' Law, and defines a movement time “MT” as a function ofnot only an amplitude of the movement “A,” and a width of a target “w”as measured in the direction of the movement, but also as the functionof the height of the target as measured in a direction perpendicular tothe direction of movement:

$\begin{matrix}{{MT} = {a + {b\; {\log_{2}( {1 + \sqrt{( \frac{A}{w} )^{2} + {\eta ( \frac{A}{h} )}^{2}}} )}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (12)}\end{matrix}$

In EQN(12), “a” and “b” are constants, which may be on the order of −50to 200 milliseconds for “a”, 100 to 170 milliseconds for “b”, and “η” isanother constant, which may be in the range from 1/7 to 1/3. It shouldbe understood that the values given for the coefficients are onlyexample values, and a different set of values can be used depending onthe type of a pointing device, for example. EQN(12) is based on theresearch performed by Accot and Zhai, who described their researchresults in the publication entitled “Refining Fitts' Law Models forBivariate Pointing.” However, it should be understood that differentvariations of EQN(12) could also be used to determine heights and widthsof the cells corresponding to the multi-dimensional context menuinterfaces.

Using EQN(12), it can be observed that not only the width of eachtarget, but also the height of each target plays an important role indetermining how much time it will take a user to select a target.Therefore, in order for the movement times to be equal, MT₁=MT_(k), andusing EQN(12), the following relationship should be satisfied:

$\begin{matrix}{{( \frac{A_{1}}{w_{1}} )^{2} + {\eta ( \frac{A_{1}}{h_{1}} )}^{2}} = {( \frac{A_{k}}{w_{k}} )^{2} + {\eta ( \frac{A_{k}}{h_{k}} )}^{2}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (13)}\end{matrix}$

Based on EQN(13), in order to achieve substantially equal movementtimes, targets further away are preferably not only wider, but alsotaller. It should be understood that there could be many pairs of values(w_(k),h_(k)) that could satisfy EQN(13). In one example embodiment, theconstruction of the interface may be simplified by using symmetry in anytwo dimensional construction, such that the width of each target willequal its height, h_(k)=w_(k), for all k, which then results in thefollowing relationship:

$\begin{matrix}{{( \frac{A_{1}}{w_{1}} )^{2}( {1 + \eta} )} = {{( \frac{A_{k}}{w_{k}} )^{2}( {1 + \eta} )\mspace{14mu} {or}\mspace{14mu} \frac{A_{1}}{w_{1}}} = \frac{A_{k}}{w_{k}}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (14)}\end{matrix}$

It should be understood that as the widths of the target 0 and thetarget 1 can be different, the width and height of each target could bedifferent as well. Table 2 below illustrates a plurality of example setsof values for w₂ and h₂, where w₁=1, h₁=1, A₁=1, and η=0.142857.

TABLE 2 w₂ h₂ A₂ 2.708479 6 2.854239 2.743368 5 2.871684 4 2.153846 3.56 2.232625 4.5

3. Example Menu Interface Layouts

FIGS. 8A-8C are block diagrams illustrating three example configurationsof context menu interfaces 802-806 created based on the principlesdescribed in reference to FIGS. 6-7. The interfaces 802, 804, and 806consist of two-dimensional arrangements of 9, 17, and 25 square-shapecells, respectively. The target choices of each context menu interfaceare arranged in a series of rings, where the inner cell is of size w₀,and the first outer ring of cells is also of size w₀. The widths/heightsof the targets on the consecutive rings are then determined based on theprinciples described in relation to the preceding figures. Thus, thewidth/height of each target on the second outer ring in FIGS. 8B and 8Cis 3w₀, and the width/height of each target on the third outer ring inFIG. 8C is 9w₀.

The two-dimensional arrangement of the context menu (“M”) interface canbe defined as a function of three variables, M(w₀, w₁, r), where thesize of the inner cell is w₀, the size of the first outer ring of cellsis w₁, and the number of rings around the central cell is “r.” The sizesof the rings beyond the first one can be determined using the followingequation, which shows the width for the k^(th) ring.

$\begin{matrix}{w_{k} = {w_{1}( {1 + \frac{2w_{1}}{w_{0}}} )}^{k - 1}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (15)}\end{matrix}$

Thus, for the context menu interface in FIG. 8C, with M(1,1,3), thetotal size (width or height) of the context menu interface M(w₀,w₁,r)is:

$\begin{matrix}{{SIZE} = {{w_{0} + {2{\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{r}{w_{1}( {1 + \frac{2w_{1}}{w_{0}}} )}^{r - 1}}}} = {w_{0}( {1 + \frac{( {1 + \frac{2w_{1}}{w_{0}}} )^{r} - 1}{w_{1}}} )}}} & {{EQN}\mspace{14mu} (16)}\end{matrix}$

For the M(1,1,3) context menu interface, we have w₀=w₁=1, and r=3, andSIZE=27, the entire menu has height and width 27. It should beunderstood that the configurations of the context menu interfaces shownin FIGS. 8A-8C are only examples, and different configurations aspossible as well. For example, the context menu interface is not limitedto using any specific shapes to represent selection choices, and theselection choices could take many different formats or shapes. FIGS.9A-9D are block diagrams illustrating a few example embodiments of thecontext menu interfaces 902-908 using different geometries and cellarrangements. The example context menu interfaces 902-908 preferablypreserve the same properties as the square context menu interfacesillustrated and discussed in relation to FIGS. 8A-8C. Therefore, theillustrated interfaces 902-908 preserve the properties of increasingcell sizes as the distance increases from the center cell, and the sizeof each cell is controlled in such a manner as to preserve thesubstantially constant time relationship.

Referring to specific examples given in reference to FIGS. 9A-9D, thecontext menu interface 902 includes 26 circular selection choices. Then,the interfaces 904, 906, and 908 are radial geometry interfaces. Morespecifically, the interfaces 904 and 906 include 19 circular selectiontargets and 31 elliptical selection targets, respectively, while theinterface 908 includes 31 polygonal sector shaped selection targets. Itshould be understood that, while all four interfaces include three ringsof selection choices, more or fewer number of rings, and thus, more orfewer selection targets could be used in relation to each interface.

The interfaces described above provide a number of selection choicesthat can be selected in substantially the same time; however, in theenvironments where a user is rapidly making a selection, while relyingon spatial memory and muscle memory rather than visual guidance to movea mouse or a different selection means in the correct direction for thecorrect distance, the user can sometimes make a wrong selection due topositioning errors relative to the perceived width and height of thetarget. Since most positioning errors often occur around the boundariesof the selection choices, it might be desirable to slightly shrink thetarget sizes so that the selection targets are not exactly adjacent. Insuch an embodiment, most errors would result not in an incorrectselection, but rather in making no selection at all, since theincorrectly positioned mouse would often lie in a buffer region betweenvalid selection choices. Such error-reduction context menu interfaceconfigurations may be especially beneficial when used in relation totrading interfaces, in which avoiding the possibility of selecting awrong choice may make an enormous difference to the trader.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of anerror-sensitive context menu interface 1000. The interface 1000corresponds to a modified version of the interface 806 in FIG. 8C, whereeach target selection choice of the interface 806 has been reduced insize so that no two targets are adjacent to each other. FIG. 10 showsthe actual selection targets of the error-sensitive context menuinterface 1000 shown with solid lines, such as a selection target 1004,as compared to the original target sizes shown with dotted lines, suchas a selection target shown at 1002, for example. It should beunderstood that the dotted lines are preferably not drawn when thecontext menu 1000 is displayed, and are shown in FIG. 10 only for theillustrative and comparison purposes. Also, it should be understoodthat, while FIG. 10 displays a symmetrical arrangement of the selectiontarget, different embodiments are also possible, where symmetry is notpreserved, for example.

Using the error-sensitive context menu interface 1000, a user coulddefine a number of desired actions to be taken in response to detectingan invalid selection. In one embodiment, when a selection is made whilethe mouse or a different selection means is positioned in a buffer zone,the context interface may be deactivated, and no action will be taken inresponse to the invalid selection. Also, a user could be alerted with anaudible and/or visual warning that no selection has been made. In analternative embodiment, rather than removing the context interface fromthe display when an invalid selection choice is made, an audible or avisual warning may be triggered, and a user may be given an opportunityto select the intended item.

Since errors that occur are mostly positioning errors relative to theperceived width and height of the targets, simply drawing the targetslightly smaller may serve to have the effect of causing the user totake more care in the positioning movement. In such an embodiment, ifthe boundaries separating the item choices in the original version ofthe diagram are used to determine which choice has been selected, andbecause the actual choices have been drawn slightly smaller within thoseboundaries, the net effect will be a reduction in error rates, dependingon how much of a visual buffer is provided in drawing the diagram.

The context menu interfaces shown in relation to the preceding figureswere all two-dimensional interfaces; however, it should be understoodthat one-dimensional context menu interface could also be created usingthe Fitts' law principles described above. Similarly, athree-dimensional context menu could be constructed according to thesame principles for use with a display that renders a three-dimensionalscene and is capable of translucent display. FIG. 11 is a block diagramillustrating an example one-dimensional context menu interface 1100. Theinterface 1100 includes a plurality of selection choices 1102-1114arranged in a column. However, it should be understood that differentlayouts for selection choices could also be used, such as placing all orsome choices in a row, or at some user-defined angle, for example. Also,the height of each selection choice in the interface 1100 may bedetermined using the Fitts' law principles, so that it takessubstantially the same time to select each choice when the selectionmeans, such as a mouse, is initially positioned at the selection choice1102. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, the heights of theselection choices 1104 and 1110 are the same as the height correspondingto the selection choice 1102, then the heights of the selection choices1106 and 1112 are three times the height of the selection 1106, and theheights of the selection choices 1108 and 1114 are nine times the heightof the selection choice 1102. However, it should be understood thatdifferent heights for the selection choices could also be used. Also, itshould be understood that more or fewer selection choices could beprovided in relation to the one-dimensional context menu interfaces.

4. Context Menu Interface and Trading Interface

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating one example implementation of acontext menu interface 1210 that is used in relation to a tradinginterface 1200.

The trading interface 1200 is the MD Trader™-style display; however, itshould be understood that different interface types could also be used.The trading interface 1200 arranges the market information in an easy toread fashion by orienting working orders, as well as bid and askquantities as shown at 1202, 1204, and 1206 along a common price axis1208. The representative prices for the given tradeable object are shownin a price column, where the prices are arranged in a numerical order inincrements. It should be understood that prices may be of thestatic-type, such as when prices normally do not move until arepositioning command is received, or of the dynamic-type, such as whenprices normally move. A display like the one shown in FIG. 12 alsoallows a trader to enter orders by selecting a price cell that issituated along the common price axis 1208. More information related toplacing orders using the display illustrated in FIG. 12 can be found inthe applications referenced above in relation to FIG. 4.

As mentioned in relation to the earlier figures, the context menuinterface 1210 can be activated upon detecting a user input associatedwith a request to activate the context menu interface. In oneembodiment, when the context menu interface 1210 is displayed inrelation to the underlying interface, it is preferably centered on thecurrent location of the input means at the time of detecting anactivation request input. In FIG. 12, for example, the context menuinterface 1210 was activated upon detecting a user input in relation tothe cell in the BidQ column 1204 corresponding to the price level of141.

In one example embodiment, the position of the input means in relationto the underlying interface at the time when the context menu interfaceis activated may dictate the types of selection choices provided inrelation to the context menu interface. For example, if the context menuinterface 1210 is used in relation to a trading interface, as in thisexample, and a user activates the context menu interface 1210 when themouse cursor is positioned in relation to a price level for an order,the context menu interface 1210 may provide a number of selectionchoices corresponding to different order quantities, order types, anyactions that can be taken in relation to an order, or the combinationthereof. Also, in such an embodiment, a different set of choices may beprovided in relation to the context menu interface 1210 if the interface1210 is activated upon selecting a cell in the BidQ column 1204 and theAskQ column 1206. Alternatively, the user input activating the contextmenu interface 1200 may dictate selection choices that will be providedin relation to the interface 1200. Further, alternatively, it should beunderstood that the types of selection choices provided in relation to acontext menu interface could be user-configurable.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12, the context menu interface1210 includes a number of selection choices corresponding to differentorder quantities, and to two actions: “Can” corresponding to a requestto cancel the selected quantity, and “TO,” which corresponds to atrade-out request action. However, in an alternative embodiment, thecontext menu interface could display the combination of order quantitiesand order types. In another embodiment, upon detecting a selection inputin relation to the context menu interface 1210, such as detecting aselection of an order quantity, another context menu interface could beactivated to display a different set of selection choices, such as ordertypes, for example. In such an embodiment, the second context menuinterface may be centered at the location of the cell corresponding tothe selected order quantity. It should be understood that differentembodiments are possible as well.

When the context menu interface 1210 is displayed in relation to thetrading interface 1200, the cell boundaries corresponding to each choiceas well as the content of each cell may be visible, while the backgroundof each cell may be translucent or transparent so that a user can easilyview the contents of the underlying interface. To make the cellboundaries and contents easily visible, and to ensure that they can bedistinguished by the user from the background interface, the boundariesand cell content can be displayed using one color, with a shadow of acontrasting color to help visually separate the foreground element fromthe background, such as the shadow illustrated in relation to each cellboundary and each cell content shown in FIG. 12. Alternatively, thecells and the selection choices corresponding to each cell may besurrounded with a contrasting color, as opposed to just drawing ashadow. It should be understood that different embodiments for easilydistinguishing foreground selection choices and underlying choices couldalso be used. Also, it should be understood that, based on the userpreferences, the selection choices displayed in relation to each cellcould be solid or partially transparent.

As mentioned in reference to earlier figures, a user can select a cellon the context menu interface 1210 using different methods. According toone method in which the context menu interface 1210 is activated bypressing and holding the right mouse button, for example, the selectionaction may take place once a user positions the mouse at the desiredselection choice, while still holding the mouse button down, and thenreleases the right mouse button. However, it should be understood thatdifferent embodiments for selecting a desired selection choice arepossible as well. For example, a user could right mouse click toactivate the context menu interface 1210, and then once again right/leftmouse button click to select a desired choice on the context menuinterface.

It should be understood that the context menu interface 1210 could beconfigured to operate in a system modal mode, which may cause thecontext menu interface to be the only interface that receives mouseinputs or detects mouse movements until the context menu interface 1210is dismissed, by making a choice, canceling the operation, or byreceiving any other user input. However, it should be understood thatdifferent implementations are possible as well. Also, any operationselected in relation to the context menu interface 1200 can be cancelledby pressing the Escape key, by choosing a cell associated with a“cancel” action, or, in the embodiment where a selection is made uponreleasing a pressed-down mouse button, by releasing the right mousebutton when the mouse is not over any cell. Upon detecting acancellation request, the context menu interface 1210 may be removedfrom the display, and no action is taken. However, while the contextmenu interface 1210 is displayed, and when the mouse is over a cell, thebackground of that cell could be colored and optionally translucent, andthe cell contents could be drawn in a different color to visuallydistinguish the current selection, such as a cell corresponding to anorder quantity of 8 in FIG. 12.

In the embodiment using the context menu interface 1210 in relation tothe trading interface 1200, the central cell of the interface 1210 couldbe configured to have the same value as had been previously associatedwith, for example, the right mouse button user action, so that when thecontext menu 1210 is activated, the trader may select the centralselection choice without moving the mouse. Such an embodiment may beespecially beneficial, since it may facilitate an easy migration by atrader to use the context menu interface 1210 in relation to the tradinginterface 1200, while preserving the semantics of user's old habits.

Also, it should be understood that the selection choices associated witheach context menu interface cell may be user configurable. In such anembodiment, the example embodiments described above may be especiallybeneficial to a trader who in advance has given some consideration as towhat values/actions/functions the trader wants to use in relation todifferent cells of the context menu interface 1210. If a trader isfamiliar with choices given in relation to the context menu interface1210, the trader will not have to press the mouse button, visually findand recognize each choice, and then move the mouse to the cell locationassociated with the desired choice, and then release the mouse button orclick on the desired choice. Rather, a trader who knows a cell that hewishes to select will begin moving the mouse in that direction as soonas the initial mouse button is initially depressed. Therefore, in theembodiment where a trader enables the context menu interface 1210 bydepressing the right/left mouse button, then quickly moves the mouse ina desired location of a selection choice, and then releases the mousebutton at the location of the selection choice, results in a very quickselection process of desired order related parameters, or in performingany other action associated with the selection choice.

The above description of the preferred embodiments, alternativeembodiments, and specific examples, are given by way of illustration andshould not be viewed as limiting. Further, many changes andmodifications within the scope of the present embodiments may be madewithout departing from the spirit thereof, and the present inventionincludes such changes and modifications.

It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that methodsinvolved in the system and method for displaying the context menuinterface may be embodied in a computer program product that includesone or more computer readable media. For example, a computer readablemedium can include a readable memory device, such as a hard drivedevice, CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a computer diskette, having computerreadable program code segments stored thereon. The computer readablemedium can also include a communications or transmission medium, suchas, a bus or a communication link, either optical, wired or wirelesshaving program code segments carried thereon as digital or analog datasignals.

The claims should not be read as limited to the described order orelements unless stated to that effect. Therefore, all embodiments thatcome within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalentsthereto are claimed as the invention.

1. (canceled)
 2. A method comprising: receiving a command to select anorder entry location corresponding to a price level for a trade order tobuy or sell a tradeable object; in response to receiving the command,displaying a context pop-up interface comprising a plurality ofselection areas organized around a central area of the context pop-upinterface, wherein placement of the context pop-up interface is based onthe selected order entry location, wherein the plurality of selectionareas comprises a plurality of order quantity values for the tradeorder, wherein the plurality of selection areas increases in size as adistance from each of the plurality of selection areas to the centralarea increases, and wherein the size of each of the plurality ofselection areas is determined such that each of the plurality ofselections areas can be selected in approximately the same time; andselecting a selection area of the plurality of selection areas to set adesired order quantity for the trade order, wherein the desired orderquantity corresponds to the selection area.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the order entry location is in an order entry region comprisinga plurality of order entry locations, each location of the plurality oforder entry locations corresponding to a different price level.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising: displaying the order entryregion.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of order entrylocations is arranged along a price axis.
 6. The method of claim 2,wherein the command comprises a selection of the order entry locationwith a pointer of a user input device.
 7. The method of claim 2, whereinthe plurality of selection areas are arranged in a plurality of regionssurrounding the central area, and wherein each region comprises aplurality of selection areas of approximately the same size.
 8. Themethod of claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of selectionareas further comprises an order type.
 9. The method of claim 2, whereina size of each selection area of the plurality of selection areas isdetermined based on the Fitts' law principles.
 10. The method of claim2, wherein the plurality of selection areas are organized radiallyaround the central area.
 11. The method of claim 2, wherein the centralarea comprises a central selection area.
 12. The method of claim 2,wherein placement of the central areas is based on the selected orderentry location.
 13. The method of claim 2, wherein the command to selectan order entry location corresponding to a price level for a trade orderto buy or sell a tradeable object initiates the trade at the pricelevel.
 14. The method of claim 2, further comprising: displaying anindicator in relation to the order entry location, wherein the indicatorcorresponds to an order quantity pending at the price level for thetradeable object at an electronic exchange.
 15. The method of claim 2,wherein a shape of each selection area is user configurable.
 16. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the command comprises a mouse down action toactivate the context pop-up interface.
 17. The method of claim 2,wherein the selection area is selected upon detecting a user actioncomprising a mouse down action to activate the context pop-up interface,a mouse pointer movement in a direction of the selection area, and mouseup action to select the selection area.
 18. The method of claim 2,wherein the plurality of selection areas and the central area form amulti-dimensional context pop-up interface.
 19. The method of claim 2,wherein the plurality of selection areas and the central selection areaform a one-dimensional context pop-up interface.